1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally involves the field of technology pertaining to apparatus for slicing products. More specifically, the invention relates to an improved rotary slicer that is particularly useful for slicing a variety of products, particularly agricultural products having a substantially round configuration, such as apples, onions, tomatoes and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many forms and types of known machines for slicing meat and agricultural products. Such machines generally include one or more knife elements, means for adjusting the slice thickness, and means for feeding the product to the knife element.
A conventional slicing machine of the type utilized in meat markets includes a circular-shaped knife which is disposed for rotation relative to a movable fixture which functions as a gauge. The product is clamped to the fixture which has been preset for a desired slice thickness. The fixture and clamped product are then manually moved across the rotating knife to produce slices of the product. Control of the slice thickness is realized by indexing the fixture in a direction at a right angle to the slicing movement. This type of machine is capable of accurate control over slice thickness but is not capable of a high production rate.
Another type of known slicing machine utilizes a reciprocating gauge plate and knife assembly against which a supply of product is gravity or force fed to the knife. The distance between the plane of the gauge plate and the plane of the knife element determines the slice thickness. A supply of the product may be fed to the knife through a vertical feed tube, with the gauge plate and knife assembly reciprocating in a horizontal direction. Due to the nature of the knife movement, the product is caused to be shifted back and forth within the feed tube, thereby resulting in slices of nonuniform thickness and configuration, particularly at high production rates. A slicing machine of this type is capable of producing relatively uniform slices, but only at relatively low operational speeds and with solid products which do not have tough outer skins, such as potatoes.
A further type of slicing machine is known wherein, instead of a reciprocating gauge plate and knife assembly, the gauge plate is of a circular configuration and rotatable so that the vertically descending product is caused to be brought into the path of the rotating knife. In order for this machine to operate properly, it is desired that the product being sliced move down vertically in the feed tube at a uniform rate, a function which is realized by configuring the surface of the gauge plate so that the plate forming a circle near its center must gradually drop down an amount equal to the thickness of the slice as the circle approaches the knife edge. This configuration also applies for the surface of the plate forming a circle near its perimeter, but the drop must be more gradual because of the greater distance. As apparent, this type of surface is extremely difficult to form. Moreover, the knife cannot pass straight through the product being sliced since it turns during the slicing process, thereby imparting a twist to the product in the feed tube. As in the case of the reciprocating gauge plate and knife assembly, this type of machine will also produce a relatively uniform slice thickness, but only at slow operational speeds and on certain kinds of products. A modified form of this latter type of machine provides a stationary circular gauge plate and knife assembly wherein one or more feed tubes are caused to rotate about a common axis to impact the product against the knife. However, results realized in slicing a product by this modified form are similar to those of the rotating gauge plate.
Yet another type of slicing machine utilizes a cylindrical-shaped stationary cutter assembly within which a plurality of spaced parallel knife and gauge plate assemblies are circumferentially supported for slicing food products that are centrifugally fed to the knives, or gravity fed to the knives when the cutter assembly is disposed for rotation about a horizontal axis. In the latter form of this machine, it is known to position a square feed chute within the cutter assembly whereby the longitudinal axis of the chute is perpendicular to the horizontal axis of rotation of the cutter assembly. Product being fed into the chute is supplied from a hopper disposed exteriorly of the cutter assembly. An example of this type of slicing machine is disclosed by the Urschel U.S. Pat. No. 2,187,957.